Shloka 26
अव्यक्त-प्रबोधः (Awakening to the Unmanifest): The 25th and 26th Principles and Eligibility for Brahma-vidyā
नरश्रेष्ठ! ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रिय और वैश्य--ये तीन वर्ण द्विजाति कहलाते हैं। उपर्युक्त धर्मोमें इन्हींका अधिकार है ।।
naraśreṣṭha! brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya aura vaiśya—ye trayaḥ varṇā dvijātayaḥ kathyante; uparyukteṣu dharmeṣu eṣām eva adhikāraḥ. vikarmāvasthitā varṇāḥ patante nṛpate trayaḥ; unnamanti yathāsantam āśritya iha svakarmasu. nareśvara! ye trayaḥ varṇā viparīta-karmeṣu pravṛttāḥ san patitā bhavanti; satpuruṣān āśritya sva-sva-karmaṇi sthitvā yathā unnatiḥ, tathā viparīta-karmācaraṇena patanam api bhavati.
नरश्रेष्ठ! ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियो वैश्यश्च—एते त्रयो वर्णा द्विजातयः कथ्यन्ते; उपर्युक्तेषु धर्मेष्वेतेषामेवाधिकारः। नरेश्वर! एते त्रयो वर्णा विकर्मसु विपरीतेषु कर्मसु प्रवृत्ताः सन्तः पतन्ति; सत्पुरुषाश्रयं कृत्वा स्वस्वकर्मसु स्थिताः यथासम्भवमुत्कर्षं यान्ति। यथा स्वधर्मानुष्ठानं सतां छायायां उन्नतिं जनयति, तथा विपरीतकर्मानुष्ठानं पतनं जनयति।
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the three twice-born orders (Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya) rise when they adhere to their own prescribed duties under the guidance of virtuous people, and they fall when they engage in actions contrary to their dharma (vikarma/viparīta-karma).
Parāśara addresses a king, explaining a principle of social-ethical order: eligibility for certain dharmas belongs to the twice-born, and their prosperity or downfall depends on whether they remain established in their own duties or deviate into forbidden conduct.